When Boy Wonder was little, his world was my world. He knew what I showed him. He would mimic my words. He copied my gestures. Sometimes, he ignored my advice. It depended on his mood and how many fruit snacks he ate that day.
When The Student Becomes The Teacher
Now that he’s older, we’ve entered a new age of discovery. Self-discovery. He doesn’t rely on me to learn new things-not when he can discover them for himself. Suddenly the student has become the teacher, and I’m getting schooled in subjects I never knew existed.
He’s teaching me about FNAF (Five Nights at Freddy’s, for those of us who weren’t born digital), Minecraft redstone circuits that would make an electrical engineer weep, and a full slate of what I like to call Skibbidi-nonsense.
The way I used to enjoy my favorite Saturday morning cartoons—no where to go, and nothing to do except wolf down bowl after bowl of Lucky Charms (The bowl was optional. I preferred eating straight from the box while I enjoyed hree hours of animated hi jinx)—is the same way he watches YouTubers like Unspeakables, Haminations, and yes, Skibbidi Toilet.
They’ve Got A Language All Their Own
These kids speak in memes, communicate through emotes, and reference inside jokes that would take a PhD in internet culture to decode.
“That’s so Ohio,” he’ll say, and I’m left wondering what the Buckeye State did to deserve becoming synonymous with weird. “No cap,” he’ll respond when I ask if he’s serious, and I have to resist the urge to check if he’s wearing a hat. “It’s giving main character energy,” he’ll mumble while watching someone build a mansion in Minecraft, and I’m over here trying to figure out who’s giving what to whom.
The Moment Of Parenting Panic
At first, I felt uneasy. What did he just say? He must have learned it from that YouTube. Who are these people that Boy Wonder is idolizing? Why am I suddenly competing with his new superheroes for his attention? These content creators have become his new role models—Unspeakables are the masters of pranks. Dream is the deity of Minecraft speedruns. Don’t get me started on whoever decided that a dancing toilet should be internet royalty.
It was easy to feel left behind and forgotten. But then I remembered something my mom always said: “You only got more interesting as you got older, IncrediDad.”And now I finally get what she meant.
The Turning Point: Embrace Don’t Resist
So forget feeling left out. I embraced this new era with enthusiasm. I started watching the YouTubers with him. Learning their language. And trying to figure out why they’re so insanely popular.
You know what? I enjoyed some of it. Not all of it—some of it is pure, weapons-grade nonsense (seriously, Skibbidi Toilet?). But the 24-hour challenges, the homemade animations, the pure creativity that my own kids possess—I could watch that all day.
There’s something almost performance art about watching someone try to build a house out of candy or survive in a grocery store overnight.
When History Repeats Itself
When TwinkleToes (Boy Wonder’s little sister) came along, I was thrilled to be back in the familiar territory of the blank canvas. This time, I thought, things would be different. Star Wars, Batman, Indiana Jones—I was going to raise this girl right on the classics. I had it all planned out: father-daughter movie nights featuring the original trilogy, bedtime stories about the Dark Knight, maybe even some Raiders of the Lost Ark adventure dreams.
Wrong. Dead wrong.
I wasn’t counting on another hero to come along and fill this new canvas before I could. I never stood a chance. TwinkleToes idolizes her brother, which means she’s already been corrupted at a young age. While other three-year-olds are discovering Peppa Pig, she’s asking me to dress her up like Chica from Five Nights at Freddy’s. She’s already dropping more attitude into her conversations with the confidence of a seasoned influencer, and she’s barely out of diapers.
The Real Lesson
Here’s the thing I’ve learned: every generation speaks its own language, creates its own culture, and finds its own heroes. My Saturday morning cartoons probably seemed like nonsense to my parents, just as SNL might have baffled their parents. The cycle continues, each generation building on the last while somehow managing to completely confuse the one before it.
So now I’m fluent in both classic dad jokes and modern internet culture. I can quote Star Wars and explain what “bussin'” means in the same conversation. I know the difference between a creeper and a phantom in Minecraft, and I still remember every word to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles theme song.
The truth is, my kids aren’t really speaking a different language—they’re just expanding the one we all share. Love still sounds the same, whether it’s “I love you, Dad” or “Dad, you’re actually kind of fire sometimes.” Connection still feels the same, whether we’re bonding over old movies or new memes.
The Wisdom Hidden in Nonsense
Maybe that’s the real lesson here: it’s not about keeping up with every trend or understanding every reference. It’s about staying curious, staying engaged, and remembering that the generation gap isn’t a chasm—it’s just a small stream that we can step over, especially if we’re willing to get our feet a little wet.
Besides, who knows? Maybe someday TwinkleToes will have kids of her own, and she’ll find herself saying, “Back in my day, we had this thing called Skibbidi Toilet…” And I’ll be sitting there, the wise old grandpa who actually knows what she’s talking about, ready with a perfect “no cap” at just the right moment.
How I Did It: Practical Tips for Confused Parents
Want to bridge the gap? Start here:
- Show some interest in what they like…not what you think they should like
- Play one round of their favorite game
- Learn what FNAF actually means (it’s about jump scares, mystery, and surprisingly deep lore)
- Accept that Skibbidi Toilet exists and move on with your life
The generation gap isn’t going anywhere, but that doesn’t mean it has to be a barrier. Sometimes the best way to connect with your kids is to let them be the teacher for a change. Who knew that learning about dancing toilets could bring a family closer together?
Dealing with your own language revolution at home? Share your favorite internet slang translation fails in the comments below. No cap, we want to hear them.